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The Best at Being Bad

An odd thing has begun at the Disney theme parks. More and more these days, there is a salute to the villains of Disney movies. The Evil Queen. Captain Hook. Maleficent. Ursula. Gaston. Mother Gothel. Cruella de Vil. Jafar. Believe it or not, these bad guys have their own fans. I’ll admit that I have a favorite: Ursula -- though Mother Gothel is a close second. My best friend is a Maleficent fan. We’ve even said how much we’d love to see the stage show of villains at Walt Disney World.

Of course, there are villains in other movies that are just fascinating. We just love to hate them. Voldemort. Loki. Annie Wilkes from Misery. Regina Giddens from The Little Foxes. Hans Gruber from Die Hard. Harry Powell from The Night of the Hunter.

The actors and actresses below have portrayed some of the most memorable or notorious villains in movie history. In fact, many have played more than one. And while they have also been the good guy in numerous films, we tend to remember when they were evil.

And let’s face it. Without villains, we wouldn’t have heroes.

If you’re in the mood to see a great Good vs. Evil film – and don’t feel too guilty for being intrigued by the bad guy – check out some of the actors and films listed below.